Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1887-05-26
ii CLOWN BUSHES
IL has UndsrEOne Many Changes Wlaa,..
Years. q

III has lNotT&oHt 6AHy thAuNt1 Htfttm &C.,.
Years. ~
"Gags are no go now inbls Shes
said a clown mourniully to-
York Sun reporter the Other
"Tbe eternal cry OF sehestnnts
killed all that and the day Of r. sss
ing clown in the big circus IS over =
are not allowed TO get off a sinrls e
IL is all pantomimic business. T,sss
are not what they used to Be xhsa
show had one clown who was ~
card. He sang q song and aiss.
had the privilege OF selling his !
book. The last year / had TIM -
lege / banked $4,000. Then the IS
business began to grow into :
nopoIy. A clown who had mad y
big bit would be engaged by one ~
anger shows, winch aims to CONT
| all the attractions. He woula 4
himself crowded in with several az ~
clowns, and sometimes there wnnlss
no room for him and he would -
nothing to do but draw his saissNs
"If it's o fair question, wbera 4,
the clown get his jokes?f asked 4.
reporter.
aSome he tumbled r and a
ers were written for him, You IeIin.S
made q great deal ofiun OF the eso~s@
Joke, but it's onethingto get an ! w
that a party at dinner would ma
stand, and quite another thing ~ ~
one up that would fetch down ! 4.
tent full of people out on the road
have offered big money to funny NJ.
ers for new gags. They woujd g.
me some that would paralyze a roo.s
full of persons, but they would 81
dead on a big circus audience 8
too, a gag that worked well :
| one section of a eau,a-
would be no good in another. Ioe.t
gags were good. The clown wo,;s
strike a place and go into a ba,hss
shop. / used to get shaved SO CO.
my face was raw. it was nefesss~,
to form the acquaintance OF a barhs.
or two in the town in order 10 -
posted for local gags. The landlsJ
of a much-frequented hotel helr4d i.
clown out. The local gag feattirs ~
it's perils, however. On night | got e
a glorious gag on the mayor of a west
ern town. 1t brought down he Mons
and after the show the mayor and
posse OF his friends chased me to fhs
hotel with an ovation OF brickbats
what was your favorite .sr,a
asked the reporter.
alt was a crying gag. The ringms.
ter would crack his whip about S.
and | would cry in a manner that usad
to fetch down the house."
Later the reporter asked each oftss
clowns to resurrect his ~favorite "a.
1t seemed like old times to hear Cher,
Talking aboTt the ringmaster. h
isn't what he used to be- eontinuA5
Billy, sadly. "You know he used "a
crack his whip about the clown, ana
hit him, too, sometimes, and talked
in stertorian tones TO help the clown
along with his gags. The ~ringrnastsr
was a very impressive gentleman, with
great command of language and Win
There were Robert Ellengham. Gus.
Clark, Horace Nichols, Samuel p
Stickney, father OF Robert Stiekney.
the rider, and many other famous
ringmasters. Now the clown paws no
attention to the ringmaster, and tx
latter does no talking.
Dan. Rice was one OF the fatheu
ofthe old-time clown. Yankee Robia-
son used to make a great hit BY hay.
ing a trained dog chase him up The
centre pole and pull him down ty The
coat tails. 1t was us difficult Tor 4
clown to get a good song as a GOOD
joke. Harrigan wrote my best SONGS.
One of my most popular was Money
johnny Lolo, a clown who has made
a fortune, and moves in high-tonei
society in Cleveland, has a very funny
production that George ID. Prentice,
tie journalist. one wrote for hin.
Sam. Long, once made his pie and i
now in Philadelphia. jimmy Rey.
nolds, who went to Australia, joe
Pentiand and Sam. Lathrop Hsrs
sore of the successful talking clowns.
Clowns get from SIS to Sl50amonth.
and some OF them save money aad
are thrifty, which reminds me thasi
must hustle home tonight and do ny
marketing.
"0ne reason why the clowns in Tia
Ligshows no longer crack their joke
is that the tent has grown SO iars
that they could not be heard. The
old circus tent was what was known
as a 100-foot round top. with ~
center pole and one forty-two-foot
ring. Then they added a sixtyfoot
middle piece, and then another mid.
die piece, until now tho big tent VIII
five center poles is used III this shew.
The ring was REINFORCED by two mon.
and then a stage was added. Aelown
in one OF the rings couldn't make ths
people at the other end OF the teat
hear.
"a biz show now has a whole ARM
OF officials, beside the performers
The superintendent of elephants, to-
superintendent of stables. the den
men, the zebra man--who Is the mos
frequently kicked man in the show
the car repairer, the big top men, thf
oblong meu-these men are built Ilss
like other men, their names to ts
contrary notwithstaRding-thetalio f,
the laundrymap, the watch repsire-
the tonsoriai artists and the snoe
maker are some of them. The gentle
mar who rings the bell when an act =
finished is the equestrian director"